Computing devices are routinely used at work, at home, and everywhere else. Computing devices advantageously enable electronic communication, data sharing (e.g., documents, pictures, music, film, etc.), the use of application-specific software, and access to information for electronic commerce through the Internet and other computer networks.
The term computing device generally refers to desktop computers, server computers, laptop computers, mobile computing devices (e.g., personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell-phones, etc.), as well as any other type of computer system. A computing device typically includes a processor and a memory as well as other types of electronic devices, such as, a disk drive.
Disk drives typically employ a moveable head actuator to frequently access large amounts of data stored on a disk. One example of a disk drive is a hard disk drive. A conventional hard disk drive has a head disk assembly (“HDA”) including at least one magnetic disk (“disk”), a disk clamp and a disk fastener (or screw) to mount the disk to a spindle motor that rapidly rotates the disk, and a head stack assembly (“HSA”) that includes a moveable actuator arm and a head gimbal assembly (“HGA”) with a moveable transducer head for reading and writing data. The HSA forms part of a servo control system that positions the moveable head over a particular track on the disk to read or write information from and to that track, respectively.
Due to the cost competiveness of the disk drive industry, the components of a disk drive need to be assembled in a very precise and cost effective manner. In order to be cost effective, complex components of the disk drive, such as disk clamps, disks, spindle motors, HDAs, HGAs, etc., need to be assembled in a very time effective manner with a very low error rate—even though many of the components require highly precise assembly. Also, many of these types of components often need to be assembled in a very clean fashion in which debris and contamination particles are kept to a minimum.
During the manufacturing of a disk drive, a disk dive end effecter is typically utilized to mount disk drive components into the disk drive. One particular type of disk drive end effecter is a disk clamp end effecter that is used for mounting a disk clamp to a disk and to the spindle motor of the disk drive in the manufacturing of a disk drive. The disk clamp end effecter typically grips the disk clamp, moves the disk clamp to the disk and the spindle motor, and attaches the disk clamp to the disk and spindle motor by utilizing a driver to drive a fastener (e.g., a screw) through the disk clamp to the spindle motor to secure the disk and the disk clamp to the spindle motor.
As disk drives are being actively utilized more and more both as moveable external disk drives and/or for use in smaller computing devices such as laptops and mobile devices (e.g. PDAs, cell-phones, etc.), they are increasingly requiring smaller and smaller components. Likewise, the disk clamp to mount the disk to the spindle motor is similarly becoming smaller. In particular, disk clamps have become so small that the area to pick-up the disk clamp and to move it to the disk drive for assembly has become much more complex.
Currently, the grippers used by disk clamp end effecters utilize a plurality of different cups placed in various locations to grasp to the disk clamp such that it can be lifted and placed into the disk drive to allow the driver of the disk clamp end effecter to screw the screw into the disk clamp and the spindle motor to secure the disk.
Unfortunately, the currently utilized gripping techniques are becoming less effective with smaller disk clamps. Oftentimes, the disk clamps are unable to be picked up or placed effectively into the disk drive. Because of this, the disk clamps are not easily and readily lifted, moved, and placed into the disk drive to allow the driver to screw the screw into the disk clamp to secure the disk clamp and the disk to the spindle motor. Such failures add a lot of time to the manufacturing process to fix such errors, damage a lot of disk drives such that they cannot be completed for manufacturing, and significantly increases the costs in the manufacturing process. Also, presently utilized grippers are typically constructed from metal which often causes metal to metal contacts when placing the disk clamp into the disk drive which may result in increased contamination. Moreover, current grippers may be difficult to maintain because they employ multiple displaced cups which often require maintenance and replacement.
Accordingly, more efficient techniques for a gripper to better grip the disk clamp are sought after.